“Nonsense”: Mel Kiper Jr. fires back at Mario Cristobal’s claims of favoring Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has responded to Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal's comments regarding the 2025 NFL draft. On Wednesday, Action Network's Brett McMurphy shared a statement from Cristobal on X(formerly Twitter) about his thoughts on Cam Ward not getting more coverage from Kiper Jr. despite being the first pick by the Tennessee Titans.

The coach shared that he wasn't disappointed in the ESPN analyst because his former quarterback wasn't bothered by it.

"The only reason I would be disappointed, was if Cam was," Cristobal said to McMurphy.

Mario Cristobal also claimed he did not know or speak to Kiper Jr. about Ward being selected first in the 2025 NFL draft. Kiper Jr. responded to McMurphy's tweet and shared that he had Ward as a sixth pick on his mock draft, which was higher than what other experts had him at.

Kiper Jr. also addressed claims that he was speaking to Deion Sanders to influence his coverage of talking about Shedeur Sanders.

"Mario Cristobal claims he spoke to a million people about Cam Ward, yet the one he didn't speak to, being me, had Ward ranked higher (6th on my big board) than any of the other draft experts. Interesting isn't it. And oh by the way, I didn't speak to Deion about Shedeur either. I need another Orange Crush after this nonsense," Kiper Jr. tweeted.

Kiper Jr. received criticism for his extensive coverage of Shedeur not being picked earlier in the draft. Although the analyst had the quarterback as a first-round pick, the former Colorado Buffaloes star was not selected by the Cleveland Browns until the fifth round.

Throughout ESPN's draft broadcast, Kiper Jr. discussed his shock at quarterbacks like Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, and Jalen Milroe getting selected before Shedeur. Some fans agreed with his belief that Shedeur should've been a first-round or second-round pick, while others believe Kiper Jr. overrated the former Colorado leader.

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Mario Cristobal on Cam Ward's importance to the Miami Hurricanes

On Wednesday, Mario Cristobal spoke with the ACC Network about Ward's impact on the team. He believes the quarterback increased the Hurricanes' relevance and praised his work ethic.

"He's left a lasting impact, and he's raised a profile of our program, our university," Cristobal said (Timestamp: 4:54). And what you saw on tape of him growing up, if he ever had a bad play. He followed it up by 'I'm going to kick your you know what' for the rest of the game, and that's what you got from him during the year."

The Miami leader added that he will miss Ward this upcoming season, but plans to watch him play with the Titans for his rookie year.